Pubdate: Wed, 27 Dec 2006
Source: Palm Beach Post, The (FL)
Copyright: 2006 The Palm Beach Post
Contact:  http://www.palmbeachpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/333
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v06/n1743/a04.html

MALL SHOOTING SHATTERS OLD IDEAS ABOUT GANGS

The shooting death of a 23-year-old Lake Worth man at the Boynton 
Beach Mall on Christmas Eve is a grim reminder that gang violence 
isn't a problem only for certain neighborhoods and communities.

Dozens of shoppers who ran for their lives as the bullets flew know 
that well-armed young criminals are prepared to settle scores most 
anywhere and any time - including upscale department stores during 
the holidays. Boynton Beach police believe a gang feud led Jesse 
Cesar, 21, to gun down Berno Charlemond. On Tuesday, Cesar, a reputed 
member of the San Castle Soldiers, was charged with first-degree 
murder and attempted murder of a police officer; Fregens Daniel, 21, 
of Boynton Beach also was charged as an accessory.

Police say turf wars among several small gangs in south Palm Beach 
County are responsible for dozens of shootings and at least four 
deaths this year. The gangs' crimes reach throughout the county. 
Detectives say a record label called Top 6 oversees six mostly 
Haitian-American gangs in Boynton Beach, Lantana and Lake Worth with 
more than 100 members. Their drug deals, weapons sales, robberies and 
car thefts reach from Broward to Martin counties. Latino gangs are 
also a problem. Two months ago in Westgate, Norman Borden admitted 
shooting and killing two men he said threatened him. Detectives have 
linked them to Surenos 13, an international drug-smuggling gang. 
Investigators believe gang members burned Borden's home in retaliation.

Nationally, the number of murders and violent crimes is up in 2006. 
Some state and local authorities blame the rise on the federal 
government diverting money to anti-terrorism efforts instead of 
helping put more police on the streets. The increase in the number of 
males ages 14 to 24 is a demographic change that has contributed to 
the increased violence. The county has had at least 92 homicides this 
year, and all but one of the 14 teenage victims was shot. Most of 
those shootings involve gang activity. In West Palm Beach, at least 
two dozen young African-American men have been shot dead during the 
past three years.

After a Criminal Justice Commission study, the county agreed to spend 
$1.5 million on youth empowerment centers in West Palm Beach, Riviera 
Beach and Lake Worth, with the cities matching some of the money. The 
centers will try to divert youths from gangs and guns by promoting 
job training, health care and counseling, as well as recreation. 
"Part of the solution needs to try to educate youth that utilizing 
the courts to right their wrongs is the way to handle these 
problems," says State Attorney Barry Krischer, "not just pick up a 
gun or spray a whole community of people." There should be no 
delusions about how difficult Mr. Krischer's partial solution is. 
Despite gun buy-back programs and weapons sweeps, the supply of 
handguns on the streets seems unlimited.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw started a multiagency gang 
task force in January with investigators from many agencies. St. 
Lucie County also has one. Cooperation between the two units was 
critical to solving the killing of four family members along 
Florida's Turnpike in October. Sheriff Bradshaw rightly says it will 
take "organized law enforcement" to combat organized crime.

Cooperation between the widest possible crosssection of authorities 
is essential because, as the Boynton Beach mall shooting showed, gang 
violence recognizes no boundaries or jurisdictions.
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